After 26 years, Coronado's Jones ready to retire

It is a drive to and from work like few others in San Diego. From his home in Bonita, Dave Jones has made the journey to his job at the Coronado Golf Club for 26 years. That pencils out to more than 13,000 trips, one direction or another, across the concrete ribbon that is the Coronado Bridge.

It never got old.

“You get on top of that bridge, and even when you're sitting in traffic, you see the Coronado Islands, and Point Loma and the Hotel Del,” Jones was saying recently. “This is a special place. Coronado has a lot of character, and the residents take a lot of pride in that.”

In the near future, Jones will be crossing the bridge simply to play golf, not manage it. At the end of this month, the 61-year-old Australian is retiring after serving as Coronado's director of golf services and its head superintendent for his entire tenure at the facility.

How did he manage to stay in such a beautiful place for so long?

“I don't know. Lucky?” Jones said with a laugh. “It's a great golf course in a terrific location. And Coronado is such a good city to work for. It helps with your longevity when you're working with good people.”

Coronado's golf course celebrated its 50th birthday in 2007, and though there have been numerous changes during Jones' tenure, including the addition of a centerpiece clubhouse, the facility is still a throwback to simpler – and cheaper – times.

The green fees are $25 to walk, the starter at the first tee answers the phone, and many of the prime tee times are dished out only two days in advance, mostly to Coronado locals who show up early. Jones has seen many of the same faces for decades.

“I've lost my hair and they haven't changed. I don't know what the deal is on that,” Jones joked.

Quality and stability have been Coronado's trademark. The head pro, Ron Yarbrough, has been there since '71. The course is constantly busy, hosting 103,000 rounds last year. The green fees were last raised in 2004, going up $5. All of the golf revenue goes back into the course.

“It's very unique,” Jones said. “This is how business used to be done many years ago. The whole thing is for people here to have fun. I try to keep the issues at a minimum. The City Council and the city manager have important issues to deal with, and I've tried to keep the stress off of them. I feel like I've accomplished that.”

Jones has watched what has transpired at San Diego's municipal courses at Torrey Pines and is not envious.

“Coronado resists change,” Jones said. “They like the way it's set up, so why would you change anything? It has been important for the City Council here to keep golf affordable for everyone.”

Reliving the Open

Golfers at Torrey Pines this week will have a chance to recreate any one of the remarkable putts Tiger Woods made in winning the U.S. Open last year.

Using the pin sheets from the tournament, City Golf Manager Jon Maddern and his crew will duplicate the pin placements each day, Thursday through Monday.

Harcourt memorial

A memorial service and celebration of life for accomplished amateur golfer Alice Harcourt will be held at her home course, Pala Mesa in Fallbrook, on Sunday, June 28, at 3 p.m. Harcourt, who took up golf at age 44 and won 24 club championships, died May 8 of cancer.

Rolex Girls at RSF

The Rolex Girls Junior Championship, one of the most prestigious events on the American Junior Golf Association schedule, will be played tomorrow through Friday at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club. The event features 78 of the top-ranked girls in the country, ages 12 to 18.

The local girls who will be competing are Danielle Frasier, Devon Brown, Brittany Mai, Rachel Morris and Katie Sylvan. The event is free to the public.

Regionals at SDSU, USD

San Diego State and USD each will host one of six regionals in the next two NCAA Division I men's golf championships. The 2010 regional (SDSU) will be played at Carlton Oaks in Santee, with the 2011 regional (USD) at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe.

Open notes

Phil Mickelson, who was originally scheduled to meet with the media at the U.S. Open today, won't do so until tomorrow morning. Mickelson reportedly went home to Rancho Santa Fe from Memphis, Tenn., after the St. Jude Classic on Sunday night to spend some time with his wife, Amy, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last month. It's not known when or if Mickelson will play a practice round at Bethpage (N.Y.) in addition to the one he played one week ago today.

Four pros have withdrawn from this week's U.S. Open, including former Masters champion Trevor Immelman. The others were Robert Karlsson, who tied for fourth last year; Shingo Katayama and Dudley Hart.

Samsung tickets

Tickets are on sale for the LPGA Tour's Samsung World Championship, to be played Sept. 17-20 on the Torrey Pines South Course.

Tickets purchased in advance are $24 for Thursday or Friday and $29 Saturday or Sunday. A weeklong ticket is $83. Children 17 and younger will be admitted free with a paying adult.